The Design Folio Incubator programme focuses on the support and development of talented New Zealand designers. Nurturing the best original, innovative and authentic design being produced locally, we're helping to realise the commercial potential of new ideas.

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After graduating from Unitec in 2009 with a Bachelor of Design - 3D and Object, Tim Webber established his own design studio alongside other artists under 'The Urban Development Project' banner. Tim's work focuses on experimenting with exaggerated scale and how this can transform familiar everyday objects into something spectacular. Tim has experimented with such nostalgic items such as the Rubiks cube and the Beach Ball and by utilising such familiar items he is able to create an immediate connection with people. We recently sat down with Tim to discuss his influences.

 

Above: Tim's own Rubik's Cube sculpture, Tim's Beachball sofa

1. Claes Oldenburg.

I love how Claes Oldenburg shows such brazen use of scale exaggeration, as well as the way in which the context of his sculptures plays with the imagination and personal connection with viewers. This personal connection is a trait I like to try to communicate in my sculptures - there’s just something fascinating about seeing an over-sized familiar object placed out of its ordinary context. It seems to so easily create an immediate connection with the viewer on their own unique and personal level.

2. My Poppa’s old Atari.

A lot of my sculptures have been taken from some form of toy or play object. So my Poppa’s old Atari which I used to spend hours battling him on as a kid is an endless supply of inspiration of old game classics. Hopefully I’ll be doing a sculpture based on an old iconic game soon!

3. Artists, and the environment surrounding me.

 

Above: Tim's work studio that he shares with other artists

The people I have around me, and the environment I work in, has a huge effect and influence on the productivity of my practice. The people at my studio are a massive inspiration to me and are often the ones to push me onto the next project and keep the wheels in motion. Seeing the work that they do inspires me to keep progressing in my design. Its amazing thing to be a part of because I’m able to see what they do, how they work, where they’ve come from and how hard they’ve worked to get where they are today.

4. My think tank.

I love it when I get the opportunity to just cruise around the streets at night on my bike. It gives me a chance to clear my head of all the busyness and is a time when I get to relax and have a good think about my design and where I'm going with it. My bike - and when I zone out while driving my car is where I get most of my thinking done...however, probably not the best time to be zoning out, but I know everyone else does it too.

5. Paul McCarthy.

Paul McCarthy is a man with a sense of humour which is displayed throughout his sculptures. It’s this humour that I really enjoy about his work as well as his exaggeration of scale. It’s nice to see sculpture not taken too seriously in some instances and simply put a smile on peoples faces. What’s even funnier with this giant inflatable poo sculpture, is it got blown away from an outdoor exhibition and left a 200m trail of destruction!

6. Engines.

The attention to detail and minuscule tolerances that it takes for your average everyday car to simply start and drive you to work every morning is truly an astounding piece of engineering – and to think that this technology was invented well over 100 years ago! I try to consciously strive for attention to detail in my works as it will almost always guarantee a high level of quality and craftsmanship. 

7.  Old classic chairs.

 

Above: Wassily chair by Marcel Breuers

The Wassily Chair by Marcel Breuers and the Barcelona chair by Ludwig Mies van de Rohe are two favourites of mine simply because they have the quality of timeless design. They never seem to age and look just as modern now as they did when they were first made in the 1920’s. This quality is a lot harder to achieve than you would think, something I am definitely still working on.

 

Above: Tim's own chair design

8.  Anish Kapoor – Site specific work at Kaipara Bay, New Zealand.

Anish Kapoor doesn’t work inside the realm of ‘sensible’ scale when it comes to sculptures. His blatant disregard for scale is very refreshing, and although are often very simple forms, also have such a magnitude of power to them. His enormous works leave me in awe thinking about how it was made, how much material it used - and how much it cost!

9.  New Zealand Architecture.

I am often inspired by amazing architects in New Zealand that show how design should be intertwined into the living spaces of the home. They can so cleverly create original and stimulating spaces that gets me imagining furniture that I can design to live in with the spaces conceived. I also love watching buildings be built and observing how each piece seems to effortlessly slot together – like a giant game of tetris. I often find myself looking at the Sky Tower from outside my studio and marveling at the fact they managed to get those massive slabs of concrete to nest together so nicely way up there.

10.  My own life.

The life ambitions, goals and values I have set for living my life all form how I design things. All the things that are important to me as a person influences how I design things – from friendships and family, to God and honour. Who you are comes out in what you create.

To contact Tim Webber visit his website www.timwebberstudio.com